That evening, Ethan Reed handed over the first draft versions of the two scripts to Evan Cross and Rachel Quinn.
This was only Version One.
There would be Version Two.
Version Three.
Ethan never believed in first drafts being perfect.
The game side didn't worry him much. Pokémon was never about hyper-realistic environments or complicated scene modeling. The earliest versions in history were built from pixel blocks, barely more than colored squares.
But Ethan had no intention of making a pixel mosaic.
Northstar's Pokémon had to be cute.
Adorably cute.
Charmander. Bulbasaur. Squirtle. And Pikachu.
As Ash's three starter companions and his signature partner, they had to be drawn in a way that made players instinctively want to protect them.
Pokémon was, at its core, a nurturing experience.
The cuter the creatures looked, the stronger the emotional attachment.
And emotional attachment meant longevity.
As for Gardevoir appearing in later generations…
Ethan could only sigh.
Human preferences were free.
Too free, sometimes.
He could understand Gardevoir — humanoid design, elegant white dress, graceful silhouette.
But "Garchomp girl"?
That was a shark-dragon.
Were people not afraid of being bitten in half?
Two days later, after refining the scripts, Evan Cross's team officially began work. Within a single day, the development team had already constructed the basic gameplay framework.
The battle loop.
The capture mechanics.
The core database structure.
All that remained was to inject content: models, animations, stats, effects.
It was like force-feeding a duck.
Efficient.
Relentless.
Mooncrest Studio's side was slightly more complicated.
Rachel Quinn was now recruiting voice actors. Fortunately, the music was already being handled upstairs by Northstar's music department.
The Pokémon theme song was in production.
And yes, it was in Japanese.
Mu Wan had been practicing her pronunciation all day in the recording booth.
"Naga… naga… nagareboshi…" she sang repeatedly.
Rachel had asked Ethan why Japanese.
His answer was simple.
"It's classic. It sounds good. It feels nostalgic."
Nostalgic for what era exactly?
Rachel didn't dare ask.
---
That afternoon, Ethan logged into his Official Blog account.
99+ private messages.
He didn't even open them.
Instead, he typed a new post.
> Northstar Ethan Reed:
Good afternoon, players! I'm Ethan Reed from Northstar Games. I'm happy to announce that our new game is officially in production. It's a casual collection and nurturing game~
Of course, whether it's casual depends on how you play. Just like Stardew Valley — some farm peacefully, others grind until they forget to breathe.
What I can promise is this: no learning curve, suitable for all players.
If you love collecting and raising companions, I believe you'll fall in love with this one.
— Ethan Reed, always working hard on games.
Within ten minutes, the comment section exploded.
"You finally showed up!"
"Collection game? I'm already sold!"
"Season 2 please!"
"It's been half a year without a game — what happened to your crazy release speed?"
"Is that yellow mouse real?!"
Ethan read a few, then put his phone down.
On the third floor, Mooncrest had already completed a rough black-and-white promotional trailer.
Ash leaving Pallet Town.
Pikachu on his shoulder.
A few quick flashes of wild encounters.
Short.
Simple.
Effective.
Pokémon didn't really rely on a heavy plot.
Ash traveled.
Collected badges.
Challenged leagues.
Chased the dream of becoming a Pokémon Master.
It took him twenty-four years.
That line — "I'm Ash from Pallet Town!" — had become a generational meme.
The original game barely had story. It focused on nurturing and battling. The anime created its own expanded arcs.
Which meant long-running, slice-of-life expansion.
Stretch the journey.
Add daily life.
Repeat.
It worked.
---
Promotion, however, was something else entirely.
Before Rachel even announced the anime officially, BiliZone reached out.
Vivian Frost received a direct call from Cheng Xin, head of the animation division at BiliZone.
"Miss Vivian Frost, does Northstar have any new animation plans?"
Vivian blinked.
"How did you know?"
"Ah? You actually do? I was just asking. Please consider BiliZone for exclusive licensing. Highest market price. Full promotion support. Everything negotiable."
Vivian hung up and looked at Ethan.
They didn't even need to promote.
A platform worth billions wanted to push it for them.
Traffic guaranteed.
Problem solved.
---
September 4th.
The voice actors arrived.
Northstar currently had three game projects:
2077 — 0.1% complete, devouring money.
Street Fighter 3 — 60% complete.
Pokémon — already 80% complete thanks to its streamlined design.
Plus the Pokémon anime adaptation.
With responsibilities delegated, Ethan and Vivian were… strangely idle.
Daniel led 2077.
Aaron Cole led Street Fighter 3.
Evan Cross handled Pokémon.
What exactly was Ethan doing daily?
Chatting with Vivian.
Drinking overly sweet tea.
Occasionally pretending to supervise.
So naturally, they went to "inspect" the third floor.
When they arrived, an employee informed them that Director Rachel Quinn had gone to the fourth-floor music department.
The two of them went upstairs quietly.
Soundproof booths lined the corridor like isolation chambers.
They finally found everyone inside one recording room.
Rachel Quinn stood there in jeans and a shirt, discussing something with Mu Wan and several voice actors.
Vivian cracked the door open slightly.
She and Ethan leaned in like children spying on secrets.
Inside, Rachel spoke seriously.
"Mu Wan, you'll voice Pikachu. Tighten your throat, lift the tone, make it cute. Understand?"
Mu Wan nodded nervously.
"Pi… pi… Pikachu~"
Her face flushed instantly.
Too many people watching.
Rachel frowned slightly.
"Not quite. Higher pitch. Sharper."
Teacher Tangguo — who previously voiced Han Lingsha and Rebecca for Northstar — smiled warmly.
"It takes practice. I'll teach you."
Mu Wan nodded gratefully.
"Use more head voice. Lift the resonance."
Mu Wan tried again.
"Pika! Pika!"
Outside the door, Vivian clutched Ethan's sleeve.
This was adorable.
Rachel stepped out to get water — and immediately spotted two suspicious heads stacked at the door crack.
"What are you two doing?"
Vivian straightened up instantly.
"We're inspecting work!"
"Inspecting like thieves?" Rachel crossed her arms.
Meanwhile, Ethan greeted Tangguo politely.
Tangguo smiled sweetly.
Ethan actually had plans for her.
Her Rebecca performance in Edgerunners was flawless. Cute but rough. High but grounded. When she swore, it hit perfectly.
That was range.
That was skill.
He wanted her for 2077 eventually.
"Tangguo," Ethan said, lowering his voice slightly. "Interested in a major role for our next big project? Tons of lines. Emotional intensity."
She raised an eyebrow.
"That kind of intensity?"
"Yes. That kind."
She laughed.
"Count me in."
Just then—
"Ethan! Ethan!"
Vivian's voice rang across the room.
"Come save me!"
Ethan walked over, confused.
Rachel suddenly grabbed Vivian with one hand and Ethan with the other.
"Neither of you escapes!"
Ethan blinked.
"What?"
Rachel grinned like a villain.
"You two wander around doing nothing all day. Jessie and Kojiro haven't been assigned yet. Congratulations. You're hired."
Ethan: "???"
Vivian froze.
Jessie?
Kojiro?
Vivian immediately protested.
"I wanted Pikachu!"
Rachel shook her head.
"No. You're perfect for Jessie."
Vivian looked offended.
"Why am I the villain?!"
"Because your voice is sharp and dramatic," Rachel replied dryly.
"And Ethan?"
Rachel smirked.
"He's Kojiro."
Ethan stared blankly.
He had come to supervise.
He had come to observe.
He had come to drink tea.
How did this turn into voice acting?
Vivian slowly turned to him.
"You're worthy of Musashi."
Ethan narrowed his eyes.
"And you're Kojiro."
Rachel burst out laughing.
And just like that—
Northstar's billionaire boss and its mastermind planner were officially drafted into Team Rocket.
--------------------------------
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